APRIL 2018 EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

EVENT

THE WIND RISES The city of Recollé. By now, several of you have probably heard of the regions just beyond the city and some of you may even plan to travel! With the world at your fingertips, there's nothing stopping you from exploring and learning about the world around you. On the other hand...well. When it rains, it pours. I. Pesgare is known for its rainy seasons and even while it storms the markets are ripe with wares, the townspeople are friendly and the little village remains profitable. However, as April continues onward the rain doesn't let up. In the early part of the month disaster strikes in the form of a tsunami. The waves crash and pull the whole city underwater, disrupting the lives of the villagers and the area at least 300 miles out including all fishing boats, islands and more. Strangely, you won't notice until you cross the appropriate nautical points, dragging you straight into the water. Upon entering this region you'll find yourself unable to breathe at first, struggling until an air bubble fits itself over your head. The need to breathe is no longer a pressing issue and it allows you to get a clear view of the village. The village itself is mostly intact and the citizens of the village have their own bubble-esque helmets helping them navigate the waters. Delighted by your presence, they'll ask for help with Pesgare's restoration process of rebuilding shops, fixing their wares and even breaking apart a dam a few miles out from the village to drain the water. Though draining will help, it will still take time for the village to dry out. However, the longer you stay under water helping out or enjoying your stay, the stranger you may begin to feel. Your might find yourself gasping for air every now and then while being in the bubble. Perhaps your throat will remain dry and parched no matter how much water you drink. Or, perhaps, you'll look down and notice the bright shiny scales popping up in patches across your skin. Do you continue to help or do you abandon ship? You may want to make your decision quickly. The more fish-like you become, the louder the sound of the sea becomes as it calls you home to drag you further into the abyss below. II. It starts out innocently enough. One day you're out in the city going about your day, and the next the earth begins to rumble and the ground near the subway splits. The tunnels underground collapse in on themselves as a large region made of chasms, caves and forges uproots itself and begins to float higher and higher into the sky right above Recollé. Anyone nearby can watch as Respatrum floats upward and they'll be able to catch the glimpses of the small fire spirits escaping their hearths, cackling all the way as they race through other parts of Respatrum and even down into Recollé. These creatures will begin to inhabit large statues of varying kinds, aircraft, and appliances such as stoves, microwaves, televisions and more. The residents of Respatrum will extend a large bronze ladder down from the region in the sky to the city to allow citizens the chance to visit and return the spirits to their rightful hearths, but that's not always easy! While the fire won't burn your hands, the spirits are mischievous and having the time of their lives. Even if you manage to coax them out of their current hiding places, they'll be more than happy to hide inside of you instead. Those possessed by fire spirits will feel warm and suddenly overconfident, brash and unruly as they do things they may not have felt brave enough to do before. The longer the spirits reside in you, however, the more likely it will be that they make themselves too comfortable. A change of heart alters your personality entirely to be more reckless and dark feathers begin to sprout as large raven-like wings appear. Though the wings will help you fly, the longer you're possessed the harder it will be purge the spirits and bring Respatrum back underground where it belongs. Items from Respatrum cannot be brought to the city of Recollé and will immediately be possessed by fire spirits to jump back up into the sky. While it's easy to bribe the spirits with games, objects and promises, purging the spirits from these objects will take work and may require you to bring all items (or yourself) to the people of Respatrum to remove the pesky creatures. III. For those of you who want to get away from it all and take a vacation to Bosuma, you're in luck! The forest is bright and luminous as usual and the weird night pollen seems to have worn off. Your emotional state seems to be free from influence and you're able to enjoy a nice relaxing stroll through nature. Strangely though when you try to leave you'll find yourself on a path you know you did not take on your way in. Your feet seem to be on autopilot as you wander further and further into the woods, away from bright flowers and happy animals and deeper into thickets of vines and marshy wetlands. Trying to backtrack leads you on a continuous loop deeper and deeper into the woods as you soon come across a bubbly swamp, lush greenery and a small stone house. As you approach the house (or even as you try to leave), you'll find yourself confused about how you got there and you may not even recognize the people you're with. Who are they? And better question, who are you? Your own name? How could you have possibly forgotten something such as that? Fear not. While you ponder your name and your mere existence, the door to the house will open and a young woman will step out. Taking pity on you, she'll give you a glance and bestow a new name on you. It may be one with some significance to you or it may be one you've never heard of before. However, with a new name and a new identity comes a price. The witch has waited quite some time for new souls to enter this part of the woods. Memories are tricky, aren't they? Surely you want your memories of your life back and not just memories of another life you may have lived. The witch is kind and benevolent enough to take you by the hand and make you a deal. Complete one task for her in three days' time and you'll return to who you once were. If not…well. You'll find out. Tasks may range from something as simple as being kind to a stranger, performing on stage, collecting half-priced Easter candy or anything that will challenge you. The witch knows your greatest fears and will push you into tasks that conflict with your comfort zones. You're free to return to the city, of course, but the countdown begins as soon as the witch seals the deal. If the task is not completed in three days time, no matter where you are in the world, you'll find yourself pulled right back to the woods to take on a new appearance. Others will have to find you in the woods and identify you, giving your true identity back and helping you reclaim your rightful memories lest you lose yourself forever. IV. Perhaps you're feeling particularly brave and take a trip to Magatus. Known for its bright, colorful lights in the sky and its wintery atmosphere, it may surprise you to find that setting foot into the region sends you straight into total darkness. A dizzying sensation hits faster than you can blink and you'll find yourself knocked unconscious. Minutes later (or perhaps hours, or maybe even days), you'll awaken thanks to the howl of a wolf nearby and find yourself in a hidden cave not far from the main town. The sky appears to be its same beautiful colors and no injuries are present. Upon closer examination, a new mark appears on your skin and seems to glow an eerie color not unlike the heart stones from February. The color may even be the same. This mark cannot be rubbed off and it glows even through layers of clothing. Asking around the village will render little answers as the townspeople acknowledge it's a mark and think nothing of it. After some time though perhaps you'll get lucky and receive the answer you're looking for. "A curse", they say, and they gesture to the forest at the base of the mountains and surrounding the town. Wandering into the forest seeking an answer, you'll find yourself growing weak and fatigued, energy fading and the mark glowing even brighter as you hear the whispers of several voices around you. Coming from the trees, you'll hear them discussing your personal failures and things you regret, things you've been running away from or things you harbor guilt over. Maybe it's a lie you told your parents, or maybe it's something much, much larger. Even when you return to the city the mark stays though it doesn't glow as bright. As you ignore the mark, or even as you puzzle out how to remove it, the mark will begin to spread over your skin as more time passes. Without breaking the curse the mark will begin to sting and act as a constant reminder that it's there, bringing forth physical ailments as well. Those who are cursed will begin to feel feverish and delirious, chills running through them and something akin to a particularly nasty case of the flu plaguing them. Nightmares begin to haunt them as well any time they close their eyes, the mark manifesting their failures into their dream-like state. Whether by word of mouth, trial and error or simply talking it out, it becomes clear that the only way to break this curse is by admitting the failures the trees have brought forth and receiving forgiveness whether that's from who you've wronged, another party involved, or yourself. As the curse is broken, the mark simply dies down and all signs disappear into your skin, leaving you free to return to Magatus without fear of infection again. V. But what about those of you who decide to stay home this month? April is the beginning of spring and that includes Spring Break for all Recollé schools. Now seems like the perfect time to kick back and relax, right? Think again. At least once a week from April 3rd until April 30th, citizens of Recollé will hear the sudden flurry of papers and impact of boxes as piles and piles of undelivered mail falls straight from the sky (missing Respatrum, somehow) and into the streets below. There are letters and care packages, orders from Amazon.com and important documents and even some "FRAGILE, PLEASE DO NOT DROP" boxes that appear in these piles. As the wind picks up, the packages begin to dance through the street and scatter around the city and you may find yourself slapped in the face by a letter addressed to a friend. A stranger's package might appear on your doorstep. As citizens begin to sort through the mail it becomes clear that these are packages sent from all over the world from outside of the city to those living in Recollé, a backlog of undelivered mail from several months ago until now. While there are no signs that the outside world is aware mail hasn't come through, the packages themselves are a bit…unusual. Seemingly normal on the outside, as you approach to pick something up some packages may take on a life of their own and transform. Envelopes will open up and reveal razorsharp teeth, shouting the contents of the letter to whomever it is addressed to. Packages will sprout legs and begin to run away to engage you in a game of tag. That pesky wind continues to be a nuisance as it blows heavily and creates a whirlwind of color and letters that trap you in place. Good luck with your spring cleaning, Recollé! You're going to need it. BONUS. While all of this is going on, the cherry blossoms are blooming, the birds are singing, and sometime on April 4th, all Retrospec users will receive a message from Zee. Jo already gave you the heads up, but we're working with some weird effects that are sweeping in as residual from other places. Kind of makes it hard to gauge just what's happening out there, but hey. At least Maury took a vacation finally. The city itself is mostly fine, but if you're heading out stay in touch as much as you can. That's the only advice I have for you at this point while we're working on tempering the storm and clearing out the effects. The RRI will be taking more volunteers for other assignments as things come up, but that's always the case. That's always going to be the case if this keeps up. Anyway…best of luck, Retrospecters. Citizens will also find as spring rolls in, small rabbit-like creatures begin popping up...and multiplying...and will be more than content to follow Retrospec users around. They love being fed and exploring, but do take care not to follow them too much! They don't always notice where they're going and could very well lead characters right out of the city and toward one of the other regions. Welcome to recolle's April's log! The prompts are simply loose guidelines for you guys to play with and make up your own fun adventures for the entire month! You may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these prompts. For prompt 3: please do not give your characters their canonical name as their new fake name! If they do not already remember their canonical name, we ask that you come up with something else. Other characters who do not venture into the swamp will remember your character's name but they will be unable to speak it for the first three days, or until characters complete their tasks. Characters who fail and lose their identities will still have mannerisms of their former selves but will need to be identified by others to regain their true selves. For prompt 4: the curse mark can be located anywhere and spread anywhere, and it can be any sort of failure your character would personally be affected by! You are also free to play with physical ailments and nightmares as much or as little as you'd like. For prompt 5: this is only mail coming from the outside and addressed to characters in-game! This is not mail that is outgoing and after this mail will resume its usual "cannot be delivered" status. At this time, phone calls out are still unavailable. FINALLY: Each prompt is eligible for one free memory! That is to say you are able to earn up to five extra free memories if you thread all five of these prompts. For freebies to qualify, we ask that the thread that you turn in working toward each objective is a minimum of 5 comments from you and shows clear intent to work toward each prompt's goal (i.e. helping in Pesgare, rounding up fire spirits in Respatrum, regaining your name/doing your task for Bosuma, breaking your curse in Magatus, and delivering mail in Recollé). Please note that we will not accept multiple threads for multiple freebies on the same prompt. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Comments

[fiddlestick]

[Uh....okay. That is not like Eren at all. He almost feels a little stunned at the lack of recognition. Elliot wasn't the type that demanded his presence be acknowledged, but he's gotten more than a little used to how Eren usually acts when he sees him. It was jarring to suddenly not get that.

Not to mention, why was he treating his phone this way? He was acting like Zack anytime he's near a phone younger than his flip phone]

Um, are you feeling okay--- [His throat catches on Eren's name. A name he has said countless times before, suddenly he can't seem to say it. Just like what happened with--

Akira. When he lost his memory not too long ago.]




Oh no.

[usurpers]

[ oh well great he’s saying the same thing everyone else has been saying! are you feeling okay?? aRe YoU fEeLiNg OkAy??? usurper’s patience visibly wanes as he frowns and refrains from making a scene in the middle of the market, inhaling sharply, holding his breath— ]

I’m fine, m’not the one that talks to— [ gesture!!! ] phones. [ WHATEVER THOSE ARE. god this is so frustrating. ] I just need to find my key and get out of here, okay? That’s all I’m doing. No, I’m not “high”, you people can’t even tell when someone’s on the ground.

[ weirdos???? listen, usurper’s been through a lot these last few hours, so! after another breath, a sharp point. to the apple symbol at the back on his phone. ]

—You know how to make it speak up, right?

[fiddlestick]

[ It's clear Eren's getting worked up. Out of habit, Elliot reaches out to touch him to calm him down, but stops himself halfway there. Right. Eren doesn't remember anything right now. It'd probably freak him out if some stranger tried to touch him. ]

No no, I don't think you're high. [He'll explain that slang...later...] Listen, please forget about the phone, I know what's going on. You were in a forest right? And suddenly you couldn't remember things, right? And now you have to complete some task given to you.

Is that what happened?

[usurpers]

[

are you a wizard ]

. . . Who are you?

[ And how do you know that happened . . . ]

[fiddlestick]

[Well, yes he is. But that's actually not relevant right now.

He sees that suspicious look at he suddenly feels VERY nervous right now. Oh no. he said too much. What if Eren thinks he's with the witch???]

Uh-!

[What is he supposed to say?? The truth would be so outlandish and he can't see Eren believing it, but...lying to him didn't feel right either. He didn't lie to Eren. ]

Um.... I-I'm Elliot? I'm- [he gulps] ....your....boyfriend?

[From how tense and small he's making himself look, its like he's bracing himself for something bad. He even looks down at the ground, not wanting to see Eren's reaction. ]

T-This just happened to my roommate! So that's...that's why I-I know about it.

[usurpers]

[ his what






no seriously he coulnd’t hear it

a lot of things going on here. first is how this elliot guy is basically cowering and he starts speaking into himself so badly he can’t hear him that well! brows continue to furrow and crease until eren’s nearly squinting; he’s listening, but— this is bothering him. he shakes his head with a few mumbled nos and smacks elliot’s shoulders a few times. look at him!! eye contact!! ]

Hey, stop, stop— [ got his shoulders? is elliot paying attention to him? yes, good. rough squeezing here before eren lets him go. ] Get it together. And speak up. Alright? I’m not going to bite you or something.

[ because that’s obviously a concern people have right? after some silence, a sigh. so this guy was his friend. could he trust that? call him a tiny bit skeptical, but it’s because the only thing he remembers is candles for light and horses for riding.

he . . . does look like armin, down to the maraca shivering, but that was when he was younger. eh, his real memories are all spotty as hell, too. ]

. . . I live here?

[fiddlestick]

[Can Elliot crawl into a hole and die right now? Because Elliot wants to crawl into a hole and die right now.

He feels the shoulder smacks and rough shoulder squeeze, and it does partly take him back to when they were younger and Eren would do that when Elliot started mumbling. But...it's been a long time since Eren's acts towards him were that rough. It just hits home how much Eren doesn't remember him, and the hurt that goes with that-

No, Elliot tells himself. Get it together. Eren just has to accomplish a task right? Complete the task, he'll get his memory back. Get his memory back and...

He swallows, forcing himself to do the eye contact that Eren wants. His big green eyes look sad and worried. His body language hasn't eased up though, he's still on high anxiety time. This seemed way harder than it was with Akira.]

...Y-Yeah. You do. You live in the city of Recolle.

[usurpers]

[ usurper was dense, but he wasn’t blind to emotion he’s lived hand in hand with for ages. literal ages. he knows he’d be upset and worried if one of his friends forgot about him. when he locks in with elliot’s eyes— damn. that’s the second he knew that this wasn’t another joke, or some person. his hands slip off him and awkwardly, he briefly looks to the ground before looking around them. ]

. . . Beyond the walls and the ocean?

[ who knew he’d get that far . . . and while this sort of peace looks utterly chaotic, it isn’t ruthless. he pauses as he gives another blank look around them. everything’s just so new. but with a spike of determination, he reroutes. ]

‘Use your key’. That’s all she told me to do. [ remember those pep talks way back when? usurper’s at it again. ] If you can help me find it, I’ll remember. [ . . . ] Don’t worry.

[fiddlestick]

[ He doesn't quite know what Eren means by that question. He shifts a little uncertainly ]

Well, we're...near the ocean? Actually it's in walking distance from here...

[Okay so that's not a necessary detail right now, but he was nervous and him being nervous usually lead to him rambling a little.

But wow...Eren actually seems to believe him, and is trying to be reassuring. It does make him relax just a little- less afraid of being yelled at or chased away. ]

I always worry but...of course I'll help you. [That wasn't even a question] But "Use your key" huh? That's vague...did she way which key...?

[usurpers]

[ his eyes widen a little at the ocean being so close by. how big was the ocean again? because this looked nothing like that other place.

maybe it’s something to poder later, because he has a key to find, in which— uspurper easily quirk’s his brows in confusion. did you know, canon him only has two moods: either perpetually angry or forever confused. ]

I only have one key. To my basement. [ but he gestures empty-handedly at his chest after giving it a pat. ] It’s not here. I only have the– phone, and a weird rock.

[fiddlestick]

[One key to his basement, what does that mean...Oh. Wait. He thinks back on the key that Eren got the same day he got his staff. He remembered he used to wear it around his neck a lot, but eventually stopped...]

Oh....Well, you don't have a basement in this city, so I'm not sure how you'd use the key you mean anyway...

What's the weird rock?

[usurpers]

[ how can he not have a basement? why does everything not make sense? why is this so weird, like . . . why!!! perpetual confusion!! in which eren just seem gradually irritated, furrowed brows together and trying to think of something without exaggerating any hand movements as he fishes his weird pockets for

a weird rock

(those are car keys) ]

I can’t read these symbols— [ he’s just so upset!!! ] I don’t even have a basement here, now what?

[fiddlestick]

[ He'll reach out to touch Eren on the arm, intending to reassure him and calm him from his frustration. That's a platonic enough gesture, right?

But oh, he recognizes that "rock" ]

Um...well, that's not a rock, actually.

That is a key.

[....Wait did that mean he was expected to operate a vehicle when he probably has no memory of what a vehicle IS? That's....worrying.]

[usurpers]

[ he feels like elliot is trying to help brace him for something with that arm touch, and

he delivers. eren looks shook. ]

. . . This is a key?

[ what the fuck!!!! ]

But where’s the— [ confused gESTURING because, what are using your words!! ] the key part?

[fiddlestick]

It's there! Kinda.

[Don't ask him how Eren's fancy af cars work]

It's used to run a car. [He gestures at the road where some are driving back] Those.

[usurpers]

A car . . .

[ he mouths the word again as he watches one go by. a look down at the key, and eren’s eyes swell with that trademark determination. like fire, and blood.

so obviously he storms over to the first parked car he sees with full intention to stick the “key” into the hole like a barbarian. ]

[fiddlestick]

[!!!!!

CHASING AFTER HIM. He'll tug his arm to try to get him AWAY from the parked car]

N-No let's not steal someone else's car! We need to find yours.

[usurpers]

[ so, these cars all have different keys. that’s frustrating, but comprehensible when he stops to think about it. he wouldn’t want to steal someone’s car either.

but more importantly: he has a car. the one he nearly tried to get into is your average car, maybe a hyundai or something. fiat? but still— peeking into the window of said car to get a look inside has him blinking widely. look at all those controls and shit. ]

I have one of these? [ . . . cool. it’s like a tuned up carriage with so much less horse shit. ] Where do we find it?

[fiddlestick]

Mhmm! [he nods!

but for where it was....that's a good question. He looks thoughtfully.]

Well, if you were in Bosuma...then it's probably parked by the forest?

[usurpers]

[ since there are no obvious place to leave carriages or somewhere proper for them, the last bit of obvious information was all he needed to grunt out a right and quickly begin to look around him. he went— well, he came from that way, but . . .

eren’s already made so many twists and turns around the city, like hell he remembers exactly where he came from. a found look falls back to being lost and confused, hitting the palm of his hand against his forehead. stupid. ]

I didn’t track my steps. [ people would. like. kill him. for being that incompetent. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Oh poor Eren. It would've been easier if he had traced his steps, but...Oh well.]

It's okay, I know the way. [he'll hold out his hand for Eren to take. Partly out of habit, partly because maybe he shouldn't let this guy wander off on his own] I'll lead.

[usurpers]

[ after some hesitation (because it wasn’t as if he’d just take some stranger’s hand out of the blue (wait he does that—)), usurper takes the hand offered with a grunt and lets him lead. it’s not like there was anything wrong with that, he did it quite a few times from what he remembers— like now. he’d take armin’s hand and lead him away from the closed in streets with mikasa when bullies cornered him. after beating them up first, of course.

—huh. did he forget about that somehow? why was he only remembering now?

so off they go! after a few moments though, usurper does let go, or seem like he wants to let go as they walk. he was no little kid that needed a leash or guiding hand! he could follow on his own! but then again . . . this guy was his boyfriend, right? so he should try and remember something, right? tentatively, the hand goes back where it was, playing with the almost outlandish thought that he had a boyfriend.

some throat clearing here. his voice cracks a tad. ]

So . . . What do you—

[ do, he wants to ask, but suddenly he’s jolting alarmingly at this gargantuan doohickey and IMMEDIATELY pulls elliot behind him as if it were a freak monster out to get them. it makes sounds!!!! it looks like it has a face!!! and it rushes way too close to them!!

(let’s be real, bus drivers are crazy). out of fright, he does, in fact, kick the bus in motion as it comes to a stop at the bus stop. he’s breathing like something scared the shit out of them. because it did. and people are getting on it. ]

It could’ve hit us!!

[fiddlestick]

[ EREN THIS IS EXACTLY WHY HE WANTED TO HOLD YOUR HAND. EXACTLY THIS.

But Elliot's grip isn't exactly strong, so when eren wants out of the hand grip its pretty easy. He was getting ready for what Eren was going to ask him, when suddenly the BUS MONSTER come by and Elliot is pulled behind him. Which is a familiar gesture since Eren always shielded him-- but dude NO.

So to try to stop Eren from going full titan on the bus? He wraps his arms around Eren's midsection and tries to tug him back. Don't kick the bus! ]

It's okay! It's just a bus- er, a big car! W-We're fine!

[usurpers]

[ HE’s gONNA WRECK IT. he’s trying not too look so startled, nearly puffing his chest out in a show of bravado. at least, truth be told, the holding gives a sense of security as well as trying to hold him back— it amps up his want to start something. ]

So it’s normal to almost hit you like that? Who’s driving this thing?

[ he’d like to have a word with ms. frizzle. ]

[fiddlestick]

Uh- probably some overworked driver you don't wanna fight.

[Because bus drivers have seen some shit in their time and they can take you. But Elliot will keep trying to tug him back farther onto the sidewalk]

Sometimes there's close calls like that. Let's just try to avoid the street until we need to cross it, okay?

[LETS GO EREN]